A Degree of Independence

By

Motoko Rich

Updated Dec. 7, 1998 12:01 a.m. ET

Mark Schrantz has little in common with his classmates.

He's still working, for one thing -- 2 1/2 days a week, on average; most of his classmates have taken a break from the work force, where they toiled for five or more days a week; he wields a fire axe, while they wielded pens; he wears a heat-repelling raincoat, while they wore suits. Now, though, the 37-year-old El Segundo, Calif., firefighter sits alongside the former corporate...